In certain situations such as when hunting, it is necessary for an individual to enable others to easily identify the individual as a human being and not as an animal to be hunted. To do so, a variety of garments have been designed with various attachments and other features which provide the function of identifying that of an individual wearing the garment as a human being.
Certain garments of this type are formed entirely of an easily identifiable color, i.e., blaze orange, which clearly identifies an individual as a human being when the individual is wearing the garment. However, because the color is easily identifiable and is clearly visible from a significant distance, the animals being hunted in additional to other individuals, can easily spot the garments of this color, which often times prevents an individual wearing the garment of this color from approaching the animal to be hunted undetected.
To be able to prevent detection by an animal from occurring, individuals can also wear garments formed with the easily detectable color that can be worn over an existing garment. Thus, the individual can selectively put on and take off the garment when desirous. However, because it is often necessary to quickly put on or take off the easily visible garment, with entirely separate garments of this type, it is difficult to do so. The separate garments are usually stored in a location separate from the individual, such that it requires a significant amount of time to remove the garment from this location and put it on, or to remove the garment and replace it within the storage location. Also, for those individuals choosing to wear the separate garment formed of this color over an existing, and preferably camouflaged garment, the additional garment layer can often restrict the movement of the individual making the task of hunting an animal more difficult for the individual wearing the numerous articles or layers of clothing.
In an attempt to remedy this shortcoming, certain garments have been developed which provide the ability of an individual wearing the garment to selectively display a panel or panels which have the easily-identifiable color thereon. One example of a garment of this type is disclosed in Moyer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,718, which illustrates a safety hunter's garment. In this garment, a number of releasable panels are secured in various points on the garment. Each of the releasable panels has a camouflage colored exterior or viewable surface and covers or obscures a safety panel having an easily identifiable colored surface that, when the releasable panel is moved from a closed position to a display position, is easily seen and identified on the exterior of the garment.
However, the releasable panels disclosed on the safety hunter's garment of the Moyer '718 patent are all located on the exterior of the garment, in locations where the panels can easily become hung up or snagged upon trees or underbrush through which the individual is walking while hunting. Furthermore, the placement and size of the safety panels on the individual are such that while the individual is walking through or sitting or standing in grass, trees and/or underbrush while hunting, the panels are small enough when they can be easily obscured by the brush, trees or grass through which the individual is walking, effectively rejecting the safety features provided by the safety panels.
As a result, it is desirable to develop a garment which is capable of being used by an individual while hunting that provides the visibility associated with a separate garment formed entirely of the easily identifiable color, but without the resulting limitations regarding the slowness in displaying and storing the garment and/or restriction of movement, while also allowing for the selective display of the garment similar to the panels disclosed in the Moyer '718 patent without the possibility of inadvertently exposing the panels on a tree or brush that the individual is moving past.